Mutant Mudd Dev Announces Moon Chronicles for 3DS

Developer Renegade Kid has announced its newest 3DS project is called Moon Chronicles, a remake of Moon, the atmospheric first-person shooter released for Nintendo DS in 2009.

The story follows a character named Major Kane, as he embarks on a mysterious mission to investigate a hatch of unknown origin on Earth’s moon. Moon Chronicles will follow an episodic model. Season one is a remake of the original DS game and will follow the pricing structure listed below.

Renegade Kid hopes to deliver a second season next year that will feature brand new content that takes place after the original game.

“We’re big fans of TV shows like Lost, “ Renegade Kid co-founder Jools Watsham told IGN. “We love shows that really cement the feeling where you watch an episode, you have a cliffhanger, and you absolutely need to watch the next one.” Watsham and his team admire the way TV shows would intertwine long and short story arcs, and the way those arcs would keep viewers engaged.

“That’s our plan for season two and beyond, [for us] to approach it in a similar way. ‘What’s the whole point of the season? Where do we start and where do we end up?’” Watsham said. But while Renegade Kid is excited at the possibilities of a second season, Watsham believes the DS original worked really well within the episodic structure.

Moon will be rebuilt from the ground up to take advantage of 3DS's 3D screen, while running at 60 frames-per-second (with or without 3D switched on). Renegade Kid also re-touched its detailed geometry and graphics, as well as introduce Circle Pad Pro support for the re-release.

Renegade Kid provided IGN with some comparison screenshots, so you can see just how far along Moon has come rebuilt on 3DS hardware. We also received a QR code link that you can scan with a 3DS and view some 3D screenshots of Moon Chronicles. Follow the QR code instructions below if you’re interested in an early peek of how this game will look in 3D:

From the Nintendo 3DS home menu, press the L and R shoulder buttons to access the camera.

Touch the QR Code icon on the Touch Screen.

Aim your camera at the QR Code, and presto - you'll be taken to a special webpage where you view 3D screens! Don’t forget to activate the 3D slider.

Moon Chronicles is scheduled for release in Spring (March/April) 2014. Look forward to more preview coverage leading up to our full review in the coming months.

Jose Otero is associate editor at IGN and host of the Nintendo Voice Chat podcast.Follow him on twitter.